Uncharted Territory
by They Call Me Soysauce
Summary: Mello's starting high school. What happens when Matt tranfers to his school? Be warned  this is probably gonna be a long one. AU, MattxMello, and probable OOC because how in character can slash be?
1. Prologue

**Hi ya!! This is my first ever AU fic. I'm so excited!! (And nervous, but I'm just going to try to forget about that.) Yeah, so this is going to be MattxMello later on (maybe in the second or third chapter), so just wait for a little bit fangirlies (and fanboyies?), okay? I'll probably have the first chapter up later today. And if you recognize the yearbook signatures, that's because I took them out of my yearbook and replaced my name with Mello's. (Except for the last one. I made that up.) Okay, I think that's more than enough out of me!!**

**I don't own Death Note (duh...), but I do own any people I may have to make up.**

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_'Hey Mello! Wassup!! Haha; it was nice getting to know you. HAGS' _

_'Hey! Can't believe year's almost over, see ya next year!'_

_'Yo, sup Mello! HAGS'_

_'Hey Mello, hope you have a great summer!'_

_'Hello, Mello! Haha, what a great year this was! It sucks that we're not going to the same high school. Who knows what'll happen?'_

Mello closed the yearbook in front of him; pushed it forward a bit. Tomorrow was his first day of high school, and something big was going to happen. He didn't know when, but something was definitely going to happen in his freshman year. He could feel it.

Little did he know how right he was.


	2. Chapter 1

**This chapter is _not_ short, it's FUN SIZED!! Okay, the truth is, I needed to start somehow. But don't worry, Matt's coming in next chapter!! Which I'll probably have up today too, because I spent last night thinking of where this story was going to go (until I finally fell asleep).**

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'_This place is bigger than I thought…' _The blond boy observed the building in front of him. So many rooms; so many halls; so many stairs. _'I hope I don't get lost and have to use the map. That would make a _really _great impression,'_ he thought sarcastically. 

Some of the students around Mello were looking at him strangely. Not that he was surprised. It wasn't every day that you saw a leather-clad, green-eyed boy with golden shoulder-length hair. At least, that was the case before he went to your school.

Mello decided to look for his locker before his arms were loaded with stuff teachers gave out. _'What's the number?' _He glanced at the crumpled goldenrod paper in his hand. "327," he quietly announced, then climbed up a flight of stairs.

After some more stairs and hallways, Mello arrived at a row of lockers that included his own. He was the only one in the hallway. _'Maybe they thought I was going to beat-up everyone.' _He sighed; tossed in the few things he had with him. _'At least I get one of the top ones.'_

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**Hi again!! To make up for my short, err... _fun sized_ chapters so far, let's have a little chat with Matt...  
Matt: "Hi! You excited about me coming in next chapter?"  
I know I am, Matt!! Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. A little chat with Matt, and Mello!! Mello? Hey, where's Mello?  
Matt and I go look for Mello, finding him a couple rooms later  
Mello: singing and dancing _"Shut up, and sleep with me. Come on why don't you sleep with me? Shut up, and sleep with me. Come on uh huh and sleep with me."  
_Matt: "Dude!! Take that to an M rated story!!"  
Mello: opens eyes (which were closed when he was singing), humiliated "I was just singing a song!! JUST SINGING A SONG!!"  
Yeah Mello, _suuuure _you were _juuuuuust_ singing.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey look!! It's a bit longer!! I'm going to try to get the chapters longer okay? But I might not be able to do that too well.**_

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Riiing!!_

A rush of students instantly mobbed around the door, desperate to escape homeroom and see their friends for the first time that day. Mello hover around the back, waiting for the frenzied teens to dissipate into the hall.

He was feeling a bit melancholy. It was only a few weeks into the school year, but Mello was sick of it. Sick of the whole routine. Sick of the teachers' fake smiles, the homework, the being alone between classes. It wasn't that he didn't have friends, for Mello was quite popular. He just couldn't find someone he really clicked with. That, and no one else had a locker around him. Until now.

Mello rounded the corner to find a redhead boy unpacking into locker 333.

"Hi!" greeting the boy a few doors away.

Mello opened his locker. "Hey."

"My name's Matt. I'm new here."

"Oh? Your parents get a new job or somethin'? I'm Mihael, by the way, but everyone calls me Mello. No w."

"No…," Matt said with a straight face. "My parents are dead."

"Oh… sorry. Mine are too." He spoke the later softly. An uncomfortable silence filled the hall. Mello was the one to break it.

"… So! Why'd you transfer?" When he didn't get an answer, the blond checked on his company.

Matt was looking down at the floor, shifting nervously. Just as Mello opened his mouth to speak again…

"Can you keep a secret?" He looked up. Behind his orange goggles, Matt was… scared?

Mello closed his locker. "Sure."

"Well…," Matt kicked at the small, crumpled wrapper next to his foot. "At my old school… people found out that I'm gay. I was either avoided, or beat up. So I played hooky for a bit, but I realized that doing that was stupid because if I don't graduate high school, I'll never be able to get a good job and support myself. So, I transferred here." Matt looked up. _'Well, he's not showing any signs of running away or kicking me…'_

"Oh, well, that sucks. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks." Matt glanced at the clock on the wall. "Shit! I'm going to be late!" He slammed the locker door. "See ya around, Mello!" he shouted over his shoulder as he ran to class.

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**Please review!! Who knows, I might get more up today!!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey, I've got another chapter up. It's a long one!! Please read the little "bulletin," it'll help you understand the little details next chapter. (Next chapter, and maybe beyond!!) Me and my bffl are in this chapter. I'm Kathryn, and she's Sarah (girl number six).**

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It was the weekend, and Mello was wasting time on Myspace. _'A new bulletin.'_ He clicked on the link and read: 

_What Each Kiss Means_

_Kiss on the stomach; I'm ready  
__Kiss on the forehead; I hope we're together forever  
__Kiss on the ear; you're my everything  
__Kiss on the cheek; we're friends  
__Kiss on the hand; I adore you  
__Kiss on the neck; we belong together  
__Kiss on the shoulder; I want you  
__Kiss on the lips; I love you_

_Holding hands; we definitely like each other  
__Slap on the butt; that's mine  
__Holding on tight; I don't want to let go  
__Looking into each other's eyes; I just plain like you  
__Playing with hair; tell me you love me  
__Arms around waist; I like you too much to let go  
__Laughing while kissing; I am completely comfortable with you_

_Don't ask for a kiss, take one._

_If you were thinking of someone while reading this, you are in lov—_

"Shit!!" Mello closed the page. Why?

Because he was thinking of Matt.

--

The weekend passed and school resumed. The whole school seemed to be buzzing. There was going to be a kind of "welcome back to school" dance on Friday.

On Tuesday, some girl handed him a flyer on his way out of homeroom. He glanced at it, saw it was for the dance, and shoved it in his pocket. But later that day, curiosity got the best of him. At home, he smoothed out the neon pink paper on his desk.

_Have you asked that special someone to the dance yet?_

'_Have you asked Matt to the dance yet?'_

"AH!!" Mello fell out of his chair. _'Why did I just think that? And of course, the flyer just had to be pink…'_

Then on Wednesday, a giggly girl came up to him. "Hey Mello, wanna check your mood?" She dangled a mood necklace in front of his face.

"Hi Sarah. Sure, why not." She dropped the necklace in Mello's open hand. Within a few seconds, it began to change colors.

"Hey Sarah! You gotta check this out!!"

" 'Kay Kathryn!" Sarah ran around the corner to her friend. "Come on, let's get out of here before he has the chance to catch us!" They dashed down the hallway; Mello would have to talk to Sarah again. Just like she planned.

"Hey!" Mello shouted. "You forgot your necklace!" But it was no use; the girls had already disappeared. He sighed and walked over to his locker. _'I'll give it to her later.'_

"Hello, Mello."

"Hey Matt. You never get tired of that, do you?" Mello briefly smiled at the redhead next to him. He opened his locker door, ready to toss in the necklace. But before he had the chance to toss it, he noticed that it had changed from the normal blue to deep purple! (Purple meaning love.)

"AH!!" The blond dropped the necklace on the floor and jumped back as if it were a flaming grenade. But he couldn't run away from it.

"What'd you drop?" asked Matt, leaning down to take a look.

"NOTHING!!" Mello snatched the incriminating jewelry, harshly throwing it into his locker and slamming the door. "Oh-would-you-look-at-the-time-I-gotta-go-Bye!"

When Thursday came, Mello was a bit calmer. He and Matt were at their lockers, getting ready to go home.

Mello closed his locker. "Hey… Matt?"

"Hmm?" replied the other, his head still stuck in his locker.

"Do you…" he started. _'Want to go to the dance with me?' _he mentally finished. But these words were trapped in his throat, unwilling to come out. "… always wear those orange goggles?"

"Yes." Finally satisfied with the arrangement of his possessions, Matt closed the locker and looked at Mello for a moment. "Yes I do."

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**Man, I wish I knew his myspace. His, and Matt's, and L's, and Light's. Anyway, I decided to break this up into two chapters. Next one is pretty much the final one... so yeah. **


	5. Chapter 4

**I'm so happy that I've gotten feedback on this story. Thank you Hoko, SquishyNinaChan, Kumarin, kayoko, MnMz, girl number six, and I-luv-Gaara-sama!! And of course, thank you to all my silent readers too. Also, thanks ilovedrunkrocklee and sakura3109 for alerting my story even though you didn't review. And panda0920 for favoriting me, though you also didn't review. You all make me so happy. **  
**Okay, that's enough out of me!! Enjoy!!**

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'_Why couldn't you just ask him?' _Mello asked himself as he got ready for the dance. Not that he was doing much to get ready. _'Why?'_ He was just about to beat himself up some more when he heard someone honking outside. 

"Hey, look who's finally ready! You were taking so long, I thought you might actually be a girl!"

"Shut it, Lawrence. I just spaced out is all. I'm _**NOT**_ a girl."

"Okay, okay. Hurry up, let's go!"

"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying!" Mello hopped into the car. "Thanks for the ride."

"What are friends for?"

--

Mello had to admit, he was having fun. He would hang out with his friends, and even dance to some of the faster songs. _'I bet I'd be having more fun if I was here with Matt.' _Startled by that sudden thought, he scolded himself inwardly. _'I'm not here with him, so I should just try to have as much fun as I can anyway.' _And that's exactly what he did. That is, until the first slow song came on.

As most of the people paired up, Mello made his way to the back of the room; stood with the other singles. _'If only I had asked him…'_

It was then that he realized that Matt was standing in front of him. Matt smiled and waved his hand in a sophisticated, prince-like manner. "May I have this dance?"

Mello tried to fight back his blushing. "A-a-are you sure? People will find out about your secret…."

"I'm sure." He smiled wider, reached for Mello's hand, and led the unsure blond onto the dance floor. Once he found a spot he liked, Matt wrapped his arms around Mello's waist.

Mello tightly held onto the boy's arms. "You know… not that many people have seen…. We could still stop…." The redhead gave a him a puzzled look that made Mello feel that he should explain his words. "I… I don't want you to transfer."

Matt was relieved. _'Ah, so that's what he was afraid of.'_ He pulled Mello a bit closer to him. "Don't worry, I won't transfer. Not as long as you're here."

"You promise?" Mello looked up with big, shining green eyes.

Matt kissed his forehead gently. "I promise."

With those words, Mello let himself relax. His arms found their way to Matt's waist, and they swayed to the music.

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**Well, that's it for a while. I hope you liked it!! This is the end for the main-ish part of the fic. I _will_ be updating, but not as quickly or as frequently. So don't think this is it!! Please review!! **


	6. Chapter 5

**And I thought I wasn't going to update this until school started again. Thanks for the reviews, hits, favorites, and alerts!! Here's a new chapter for you. Enjoy!!**_

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_

_With those words, Mello let himself relax. His arms found their way to Matt's waist, and they swayed to the music._

That Friday night, both boys fell asleep with smiles on their lips and butterflies in their hearts.

--

On Monday morning, Mello couldn't wait to go to school; to see Matt. Homeroom seemed to take twice as long, the minutes dragged by at a torturously slow rate. He stared at the clock, willing it to move faster, faster, faster! When the bell finally signaled his sweet, five-minute freedom, the blond almost ran out the door and down the hall. He stopped and peeked around a corner.

There was Matt, exchanging a couple of his notebooks. Mello suddenly became scared. Why was it that when the lights came back on, so did the shyness and insecurity?

Mello started at his feet as he shuffled to his locker. He opened his locker door, sneaking a peek at Matt out of the corner of his eye. Matt caught him, and both boys' cheeks were instantly flushed with pink as they looked away, trying to think of an explanation as to why they were staring at each other.

"So…," began Matt, unsure of what he was trying to say.

"…Yeah…." Mello wasn't doing any better.

"Uhh…," Matt rubbed his arm sheepishly, "…What's up?"

"Just… stuff…," Mello answered. "…And you?"

"Same… stuff…."

"…"

"…" The only sounds heard were those of the boys' awkward shifting.

"You ready for Wednesday's math quiz?" Mello offered.

"Yeah…," Matt answered, glad Mello broke the silence. "Stuff's pretty easy…."

"Oh…." Mello shuffled and stared at his feet. "I didn't really get it…," he added quietly.

"…Really?" the redhead inquired.

Mello nodded slightly. "Umm…," he could feel his face growing hot as his cheeks flooded with pink. "I was wondering… if maybe… you'd study with me…." He glanced at Matt quickly.

"Sure," Matt agreed through a shy smile.

--

They walked to Mello's house together, stealing glances at each other and blushing whenever their hands brushed.

Matt sat on Mello's doorstep as the blond searched for his key. Once inside, Mello threw his bag onto the couch before disappearing into the kitchen. Matt took a seat on the couch, placing his bag on the floor nearby.

'_Why am I being so shy?' _wondered Mello as he opened the refrigerator. He thought of Matt as his best friend… maybe more. _'Things gotta change,'_ he decided as he pulled out a glass pitcher.

The blond returned with two glasses of lemonade. He placed the drink on the table in front of the couch, then sat down. Matt took out his math textbook and they began to work.

While Matt explained various concepts, Mello listened… and watched the boy breathe. Mello tried a problem. "Like this?" he asked, pointing to the scribbled numbers.

Matt analyzed his friend's work. "You might want to recheck this step," he replied, leaning over to point to the line.

Mello inhaled. Strawberries. Matt's hair smelled like strawberries. "Oh, okay." Mello checked his work as the redhead pulled back.

--

As time passed, Mello got more problems correct. The boys had also managed to gravitate closer to each other, and were now about half a foot apart.

Mello was sure that they'd studied enough now. He decided to make his move, before he began to doubt himself. "Matt."

Matt looked at the blond.

Mello grabbed the boy's wrists and jerked him in for a kiss.

Shocked, Matt's eyes widened. Though after a moment, he scooted closer to Mello, closing the gap between them, until their hips were pressed together. He gently wriggled his wrists out from the blond's grasp, sliding his hands down slightly, lacing their fingers together.

They broke apart slowly, reluctantly, reopening their eyes. With shy smiles and slight blushes, they just looked at each other. They wound their arms around each other; held each other in a warm embrace. Until…

"Aww man!!" Matt exclaimed when he saw the clock. It was already seven o' clock!!

Mello pulled back to examine the redhead. "What?"

"I've gotta get home! I need to go to the store, and get stuff for dinner, and then make dinner…!" he rambled on.

"Oh." Mello chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, you can have dinner with me tonight!"

"Really? Are you sure it's not too much trouble?" Matt asked with huge, childlike eyes.

"Yeah," confirmed Mello with a smile.

"Thank you, thank you!!" Matt exclaimed while squeezing the blond.

--

Matt carried their dishes to the sink. "I hate to eat and run, but…."

"It's alright, I understand," said Mello as he stood up from the table. They walked over to the front door. "I guess you better get going before all the creeps come out," he added as he opened the door.

"Yeah," the redhead replied with a sigh. "Thanks again," he added, stepping onto the porch.

"No problem," Mello, standing in the doorframe, reminded him.

Matt began to walk away, but stopped after a few steps. He dashed back; grabbed Mello's shoulders; pressed their lips together in a soft and tender kiss.

Then he dashed home, smiling the whole way.


	7. Chapter 6

**I finally know exactly when this is supposed to be happening, so hopefully my timeing will be better. :)**

**And of course, I own nothing. Oh wait, no, I own the old geometry teacher Mr. Dilson and that bimbo Cassandra Wintwood.**

_

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_Matt closed his locker with a click. "So, you ready for the math test?" 

"Yeah," replied Mello, readjusting his backpack, the strap of which was about to fall off his shoulder. "Thanks to you," he added with a smile.

The metallic _click_ of Mello closing his locker was muffled by the shrill ringing of the bell. He was about to walk away, but Matt grasped his hands; pulled the boy close to him. "Good luck," the redhead whispered, giving Mello's hands a gentle squeeze as he did so. The blond acquired a subtle blush.

Mello remembered how he used to hate having his locker virtually isolated from just about everyone else's. But as he looked into Matt's hazel eyes, Mello decided that he liked it better this way.

They went their separate ways, Mello walking to Geometry with confidence.

_**Friday; September twenty-first, two-thousand-seven**_

"Matt!" Mello ran towards the red-haired boy who hadn't even reached his locker yet. "Matt! Matt, I got 91!!"

"That's great!!" Matt exclaimed before laughing lightly at the blond's enthusiastic bouncing. "You even scored a point higher than me! Are you sure you needed my help? Or were you just trying to get me in your house?"

Mello's eyes widened and his bouncing ceased. "Wh-what?! N-no!! I really didn't understand it!!"

Matt chuckled. "I was just joking."

Relieved, Mello examined Matt's test, which he had snatched out of the redhead's hand mere seconds ago. "You forgot to write your name."

"Yeah, that old fart Dilson, he took five points off," Matt said with a grin. "Anyways, we should celebrate your success at my place! Besides, I still have to pay you back for letting me have dinner at your house on Tuesday."

"Okay," Mello agreed as he packed his bag. He closed his locker. "Let's go."

The boys exited the school and began walking to Matt's house.

They both glanced over their shoulders constantly. Though their motives were the same, neither boy knew this.

'_Good, there's no one behind us…,'_ thought Mello.

'… _I can hold his hand now.' _Matt wrapped his gloved hand around Mello's. Just as the blond was about to lace their fingers together…

"Hiii!!" A girl of a little more than five feet appeared from nowhere. Shocked, their hands recoiled.

"Hi Cassandra," Matt grumbled as cheerfully as he could manage.

"Yeah, whatever," Cassandra Wintwood dismissed the redhead without even attempting to mask her irritancy. She flipped her jet black hair. "So Mello! Wanna go get ice-cream with me?" she asked while bouncing around in a skirt that pushed the limits of the school dress code like the bimbo she was.

"Got other plans," stated Mello, not letting his growing belligerence show. She totally dissed Matt!

"Oh…," she replied with a pout, her amber eyes shooting icy daggers at Matt, suspecting him to be the reason she wasn't going to get a date. "'Kay, well, tell me when you're available." Cassandra giggled and skipped away.

"Matt…," Mello began once he was sure the girl was out of earshot, "please… don't let me be available."

Matt just laughed and grasped the boy's hand, re-lacing their fingers. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that," he assured the blond.

They continued walking to Matt's house, smiling and gently swinging their clasped hands the whole way.

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**I chose the name Cassandra because it means "messanger of doom." She might bring a little "doom" into M&M relationship. ' o '**

**I already have part of the next chapter written, so that may get posted today. :) Please review!!**


	8. Chapter 7

"Eep!!" Mello buried his face in the striped folds of Matt's shirt. They were sitting on Matt's couch, watching a horror movie via pay-per-view. Matt rubbed the blond's arm in what he hoped was a comforting manner.

The redhead had a bowl of freshly made popcorn – and half of Mello – in his lap. He tossed a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Mello peeked at the screen briefly, then returned to his striped sanctuary. _'Why did I suggest this shit?'_

Matt smiled. Mello always acted so tough at school. But seeing him scared like this…. _'He's adorable.'_

--

Matt checked the clock. They had watched another couple movies, and it was now seven-thirty.

"I guess that I should start making dinner now, huh?"

"Okay," Mello agreed, ready to hope off the couch and join Matt in the kitchen. "What do you want me to help with?"

"Nothing. You're the guest. Just…" Matt thought for a second. "Just sit there and look pretty," he finished with a smile.

Mello frowned slightly for a second, then struck a pose. "Like this?"

"Sure," Matt said between laughs.

--

Dinner finished, Matt cleaned the kitchen. Mello had insisted he help, so he was drying the dripping pots and pans Matt would pass him.

"Thanks for dinner, it was delicious," Mello said for the second or third time that evening.

Matt handed the blond the final pot, shutting of the sink faucet. "No problem, I'm glad you like it."

The kitchen was silent save for the squeaking of a dishtowel rubbing against a stainless-steel pot.

Mello stared out a nearby window as he dried. "The stars sure are pretty, aren't they."

Matt followed the boy's gaze. "Yeah." He reached a hand out, halting Mello's mindless rubbing of the already-dry pot. Mello directed his gaze to Matt, who smiled. "Do you want to get a better view?"

"Okay." Mello smiled as well.

They walked out into the redhead's backyard; laid side-by-side on the plush lawn. Mello wriggled his hand into Matt's. Silently, they gazed up into the dark, cloudless sky filled with twinkling pixels of light.

After a while, Matt noticed Mello had started shivering. Letting go of the blond's hand, Matt pulled the boy close to him.

Sighing contently, Mello snuggled closer to the inviting warmth. His eyes fluttered closed as drowsiness began to overtake him. He soon slipped into a peaceful slumber.

Matt watched the sleeping figure in his arms. Part of him wanted time to stop; to hold him forever. But of course, he knew that wouldn't happen, so he enjoyed it as long as he could.

Some time later, the redhead felt sleep begin to tug at his eyelids. Knowing that they'd probably get sick if they stayed out any longer, Matt scooped up Mello and carried him inside.

As Matt laid the blond on his bed, Mello's eyes began to open a little. The redhead covered the boy with blankets and gently kissing his forehead.

Matt grabbed a few blankets on his way out and camped on the couch.

--

Mello awoke to the cheerful chirping of birds outside the window, morning sun flooding the room with light. He yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. _'Where am I?' _he thought, observing his surroundings. _'Matt's room? … Oh, I remember now.' _

He walked out to find Matt still asleep on the family room couch. Crouching in front of said couch, Mello gently poked the redhead a couple times. Matt blinked a couple times. "Mornin'."

"I could have slept on the couch instead."

"Nonsense." Matt yawned. "You're the guest."

"Well," started Mello was he ruffled Matt's already messy hair, "I guess I should go home now."

The redhead nodded sleepily. "I guess so."

"Thanks again," Mello said as he stood up. "Bye," Mello closed to door and started walking home.

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**I hope you liked it!! Please review!!**

**Good news!! I'm getting a thesaurus!! It may not seem like much to you, but I have a really hard time picking words sometimes, and tend to use the same ones.**


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